Since Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, was shot to death by Darren Wilson, a police officer, in Ferguson Missouri this past summer (Aug 9, 2014),
since that time,
and more since since the grand jury decided not to indict Wilson (Nov 24, 2014),
I have occasionally had the following thought pop into my head:
On a happy sunny day, a sniper (a white sniper, to avoid increasing racial violence) should take out Wilson's teenage son as he's walking down the street on his way home from school.
And today, only today, after reading an article by Suzanne Ross (see below), I'm thinking,
"Did I seriously wish that?
How do I -- the guy with this blog about embracing people instead of excluding them -- wish that someone would kill Wilson's kid? And to take so long to realize what I'm wishing....
For starters, his son is as valuable as Michael Brown and also deserves to live a life free of violence. Of course, in a country with systemic racism, the opposite is the reality: Wilson's son is considered as worthy of having a life free of violence, and Michael Brown just doesn't matter....
so perhaps I'm reacting in an equal and opposite way.
But as a follower of Jesus, I should see all lives as being valued and equally deserving a life free of violence, regardless.